He told iPolitics via email that in the new role, he will be working with both corporate and not-for-profit clients on a “range of issues across government, helping counsel them to inform and advocate for smart public policy in partnership with the federal government.”

Dillane said he was attracted to H+K because both the variety of clients the public affairs practice works with and the “innovative tools and resources” the firm brings to its work.

“I’ve also respected many of my new colleagues for a long time and when this opportunity came up to work alongside them, I was eager to come on board,” he said.

Dillane joins H+K’s Ottawa office after spending the past year or so with Proof Strategies, and before that, as a tour advisor for the Ontario Liberal Party’s 2018 provincial election campaign, according to his LinkedIn. From Aug. 2016 to June 2018, he served as senior operations advisor for the Ontario Finance Minister’s Office.

Prior to that role, Dillane worked as a communications advisor for the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services and Ontario Women’s Directorate from Oct. 2014 to July 2016. He came to that role after over two years as a special assistant (correspondence) with the Ontario Premier’s Office.

Kevin Huang is joining Crestview Strategy’s Toronto office as a data scientist as the firm continues to grow its research and insights division.

At Crestview, Huang works with corporations, non-profits and industry associations across sectors to “implement innovative approaches to assess risk and guide business decisions,” the firm said.

Kevin Huang

“Kevin brings to the agency a unique perspective to research, informed by his solid experience in statistical methods and his passion for technology-driven problem-solving,” Crestview’s national practice lead for digital, campaigns and mobilization Joseph Lavoie said in a statement.

Prior to joining Crestview, Huang worked on municipal and university-based health campaigns at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. His work there aimed to make harm-reduction programs during the fentanyl crisis more accessible to university students. He has a Bachelor’s of Science and a Master’s of Public Administration from Queen’s.

Huang also has experience conducting “national bioinformatics research” and assisting with the modernization of operational policy within the Ontario Public Service, according to Crestview.

News of Huang’s appointment comes only days after Crestview promoted Meena Aier to the role of senior data scientist. The firm says its digital, campaigns and mobilization practice “builds and runs campaigns that mobilize support and impact change for both political and corporate clients.”